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Tuesday July 18 2017

S.4 student killed in school strike, 13 arrested

The Ntungamo District police commander Mr Baker Kawonawo speaks to students at Rwera secondary school following the Sunday evening strike. PHOTO BY PEREZ RUMANZI

In Summary

The Ntungamo District police commander Mr Baker Kawoonawo said 13 students have been arrested and will be charged with manslaughter. Other six senior students escaped from the school and are on the run.

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By PEREZ RUMANZI

NTUNGAMO. A senior four student of Rwera Secondary School in Ntungamo District has been found dead near the school compound following a strike.The body of Patience Nayebare, 18 was on Monday found in the school compound following the strike which happened on Sunday night and saw all students in the boarding section escape.

Shs allegedly fell down as students were running and was stepped on by other students in a stampede. Nayebare’s father, Mr Joram Katabazi of Nyarutuntu village in Ntungamo Sub-county said she had a heart problem.

“As we were running, Nayebare fell down and became unconscious. We tried to lift her up but failed and left her there. She was discovered dead in the morning,” said one of the students who did not want to be named because she’s not authorized to speak to the media.

The school head master Mr Joseph Mukasa told this reporter that they did not know why the students went on strike but they suspect it was a ploy by “some students to escape and conjugate.”

Policemen guard the arrested students at Rwera secondary school on Monday. PHOTO BY PEREZ RUMANZI

“There is no reason behind the strike. Sunday was the students’ visitation day and it seemed normal. When we asked the students during today’s (Monday) school assembly to explain why they went on strike, they said nothing. May be it was because they wanted the girls,” Mr Mukasa said.

Being a Catholic mixed school, male and female students are not allowed to have joint preps or interact at night.Students say the stampede was caused by police who had been deployed to quell the strike.

Some students had allegedly turned violent and pelted stones at police officers and on the rooftops of the school blocks.The Ntungamo District police commander Mr Baker Kawoonawo said 13 students have been arrested and will be charged with manslaughter. Other six senior students escaped from the school and are on the run.

Kawonawo says the school will remain open but police remain deployed.The Ntungamo district education officer, Mr Oddo Arigye said they made a decision to screen all the girls to ascertain whether they may have had sexual intercourse with their male counterparts.“If any of the girls is found to have had sex, they are at a risk of getting infected with HIV and they will be subjected to post exposure prophylaxis,” he said.